Blueberries are native to Canada and the Northeast region of the United States, and prefer milder temperatures in their summer growing season. The United States is still the largest blueberry-producing country in the world, but rapidly rising temperatures could lead to see smaller yields in the future. This is an issue that Delaware State University researchers seek to address.
DSU’s Dr. Kalpalatha Melmaie and Dr. Krishnanand P. Kulkarni are using genetic research to focus on finding a solution to this dilemma. Using a $300,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the team will investigate high temperature stress tolerance in blueberries.
Using genetic breeding, the researchers hope to create a more heat-tolerant variety of blueberry, and help farmers yield large numbers of high quality crops moving forward.
Source: delawarepublic.org
